Wire, rod and tubing stretching mechanism



H. E. MENSER WIRE, ROD AND TUBING STRETCHING MECHANISM May 28, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 001,. 5, 1965 Henry E Menser INVENTOR.

BY (Wavy :s

Fig. 2

y 28, 19.63 H. E. MENSER 3,385,093

WIRE, ROD AND TUBING STRETCHING MECHANISM I Filed Oct. 5, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ill/Ill II I\ Henry E Menser N 9 INVENTOR.

Q 1 WW BY 32mm. wi wq mm M United States Patent 3,385,093 WIRE, ROD AND TUBING STRETCHING MECHANISM Henry E. Menser, Hammond, Ind., assignor of one-eighth to Thomas H. Vance, Hammond, Ind. Filed Oct. 5, 1965, Ser. No. 493,014 3 Claims. (Cl. 72-392) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An elongated rigid support member including anchor means on one end portion, a fluid motor on the other end portion, an upstanding lever arm pivotally secured at its lower end to the support member intermediate the opposite end portions thereof and a tension member being operatively connected between the lever and the fluid motor means for pivoting the former relative to the elongated support member, elongated tethering means being provided and including one end adapted for securement to the end portion of the support member remote from the fluid motor at points spaced longitudinally therealong and a second end adapted to be secured to one end of an elongated member to be stretched with the free end portion of the lever being provided with second means adapted to be secured to the other end of an elongated member to be stretched.

This invention relates to a novel and useful article straightening and stretching mechanism and more specifically to an apparatus including means by which elongated members such as tubing, wire and rods may be straightened and/ or stretched as desired.

The stretching mechanism of the instant invention includes an elongated rigid support member having anchor means on one end portion thereof adapted to be secured to an article which is to be stretched or straightened and an elongated lever arm is pivotally secured to the other end portion of the rigid support member for rotation about an axis extending transversely of the support member and the lever arm includes means, spaced longitudinally thereof from its axis of rotation relative to the support member, adapted to have another portion of the article which is to be stretched secured thereto. With an article which is to be stretched thus secured at remote locations to the lever arm and anchor means of the stretching mechanism of the instant invention, the lever arm may have its free end portion pivoted away from the anchor means in order to stretch the article secured between the lever arm and the anchor means. Of course, it is to be understood that the point on the lever arm to which the article to be stretched is secured may be adjusted longitudinally of the lever arm and that the lever arm may be as long as desired in order to provide the requisite mechanical advantage for stretching the article.

In addition, the stretching mechanism of the instant invention is provided with motor means operatively connected between the rigid support member and the lever arm and operative to effect swinging movement of the free end of the lever arm away from the anchor means carried by the remote end portion of the elongated support member.

The anchor means is of a type wherein the point of effective securement of the article to be stretched to the rigid support member may be adjustably positioned along the latter thereby adapting the stretching mechanism to handle articles of various lengths. Further, the lever arm and the rigid support member include coacting means whereby the axis of rotation of the lever arm relative to the support member may also be adjustably positioned longitudinally of the support member.

The main object of this invention is to provide a mechanism operative to stretch and/ or straighten wire, tubing and rods in an efiicient manner.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device in accordance with the immediately preceding object and including means whereby it may be readily adapted to stretch articles of various lengths.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a stretching mechanism that may, in addition to being powered by suitable motor means, also be hand-operated.

A still further object of this invention, in accordance with the immediately preceding object, is to provide a stretching mechanism including means by which the mechanical advantage afforded an operator manually operating the mechanism may be varied as desired.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide a stretching mechanism in accordance with the preceding objects which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble-free in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the tubing, wire and rod stretching mechanism of the instant invention;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 2--2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of one of the tethering means by which the article to be stretched is anchored at one end;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 55 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view on somewhat of an enlarged scale taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 66 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 7--7 of FIGURE 4 and with alternate positions of certain portions of the illustrated assemblage shown in alternate positions by phantom lines; and

FIGURES 8 and 9 are fragmentary side elevational views of two alternate forms of clamp assemblies which may be used in lieu of the clamp assemblies illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 7.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the stretching mechanism of the instant invention. The stretching mechanism includes an elongated rigid support member generally referred to by the reference numeral 12 and comprises two similar opposite end sections 14 and 16 disposed in endto-end aligned relation and secured together in any convenient manner as at 18. Each of the sections comprises a generally channel-shaped member including a pair of upstanding and generally parallel flanges 20 and 22 interconnected at their lower edge portions by means of a bight portion 24. A slightly larger and considerably shorter generally U-shaped connecting member 26 is secured to the end of the section 14 adjacent the section 16 in any convenient manner such as by welding 28. The end of the section 16 adjacent the section 14 is snugly received in the connecting member 26 and secured thereto in any convenient manner such as by suitable fasteners 30.

Three leg assemblies generally referred to by the reference numerals 32, 34 and 36 are dependingly supported from the free end of the section 14, the connecting member 26, and the free end of the section 16, respectively. Each of the leg assemblies 32, 34 and 36 includes a generally inverted V-shaped member 38 which may be secured to the under portion of the corresponding bight portion in any convenient manner and which includes a horizontal brace member 40 extending between the lower ends of the legs 42 and 44 thereof.

The flanges and 22 of each section 14 and 16 are provided with pairs of upwardly opening and inclined notches 46 spaced longitudinally of the corresponding section. In addition, each of the bight portions 24 is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced keyhole openings 48.

From a comparison of FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings it may be seen that the sections 14 and 16 are reversed end to end relative to each other and that the notches 46 formed in the section 14 open toward the free end of the latter while the notches 46 formed in the section 16 open toward the free end of the latter. Still further, the keyhole openings 48 formed in the sections 14 and 16 each has its minor dimension portion disposed toward the other section.

A tension member in the form of a link chain 50 is provided and each of the links 52 of the chain 50 is removably anchorable in each of the keyhole slots 48 in a manner which is believed to be obvious from FIG- URE 6 of the drawings. One free end of the link chain 50 is secured to a hinge clamp assembly generally referred to by the reference numeral 54 and including a pair of hinge leaves 56 and 58 pivotally secured together as at 60. A screw shaft 62 is pivotally supported from the hinge leaf 58 and is swingable through a slot 64 formed in the free end of the other hing leaf 56. The free end of the screw shaft 62 is externally threaded as at 66 and has a nut 68 threadedly engaged therewith comprising an abutment which may be utilized to clampingly secure the hooked end 70 of a rod 72 which is to be straightened between the hinge leaves 56 and 58 with the hooked portion 70 of the rod 72 passed through one of the various openings 74 and 76 formed in the hinge leaf 58. The other end of the rod 72 is also hooked as at 78 and engaged with a hinge clamp assembly 80 similar to the hinge clamp assembly 54. However, the free end of the hinge leaf 58 of the hinge clamp assembly 80 has a twopiece mounting bracket generally referred to by the reference numeral 82 secured thereto in any convenient manner such as by welding 84. The mounting bracket 82 comprises a pair of L-shaped brackets 86 and 88 secured together in any convenient manner such as by a fastener 90 and the end of the L-shaped bracket 88 remote from the L-shaped bracket 86 is pivotally secured to a lever arm 92 in any convenient manner such as by a pivot fastener 94.

The upper end portion of the lever arm 92 is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings 96 and the lower end of the lever arm 92 includes a transversely extending arm 98 including diametrically enlarged opposite end portions 100. The opposite ends of the transversely extending arm 98 project from opposite sides of the lever arm 92 and are removably rotatably received in a selected pair of the notches 46 formed in the section 14. The upper end of the lever arm 92 has one end of a second tension member in the form of a chain 102 secured thereto in any convenient manner such as by an anchoring bracket 104 by means of a pivot fastener 106 passing through a selected aperture 96 in the lever arm 92. The other end of the tension member or chain 102 is operatively connected to the free end of the extendible piston portion 108 of an extendible fluid motor generally referred to by the reference numer l 10 supported from the end portion of the bight portion 24 of the section 14 remote from the section 16.

From the foregoing it may be seen that the rod 72 to be straightened may have one hooked end portion 70 thereof engaged with the hinge clamp assembly 54 and the other hooked end portion 78 thereof engaged with the hinge clamp assembly 80. Then, the upper end of the lever arm 92 may be manually urged to the left as viewed in FIGURES 2 and 5 of the drawings in order to stretch and straighten the rod 72. In addition, should the rod 72 be of a greater diameter, the fluid motor or hydraulic cylinder 110 may be utilized to exert a pull on the tension member 102 in order to swing the upper end of the lever arm 92 toward the left as viewed in FIGURES 2 and 5 of the drawings in lieu of hand operation of the lever arm 92. 1

Of course, the lever arm 92 may be engaged with any pair of the notches 46 formed in the section 14 and the chain 50 may be engaged in any of the keyhole openings 48 formed in the section 16. Still further, the chain 50 may have one of its links 52 engaged with any of the keyhole openings 48 formed in the section 14 and the transversely extending arm 98 on the lower end of the lever arm 92 may be engaged in any pair of corresponding notches 46 formed in the section 16.

Inasmuch as the upper ends of the leg assemblies 32, 34 and 36 are removably secured to the corresponding bight portion 24 by means of suitable fasteners 116, the leg assemblies 32, 34 and 36 may be readily removed from the sections 14 and 16. Still further, the fasteners 30 may be removed in order to separate the sections 14 and 16 for further compactness of the mechanism 10 and to facilitate its storage.

In FIGURES 8 and 9 there may be seen a pair of clamp assemblies generally designated by the reference numerals 80' and 54', respectively, corresponding to and which may be used in lieu of the clamp assemblies 80 and 54. The assemblies 80' and 54' each include a pair of ribbed plates and 122 clampingly secured together by means of suitable threaded fasteners 124 and adapted to secure therebetween the corresponding end of the rod 72, the plates 122 of the assemblies 80' and 54 being secured to the bracket 82' and to the chain 50', respectively, corresponding to the bracket 82 and the chain 50.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An article stretcher comprising an elongated rigid support member including a pair of generally parallel longitudinally extending flanges projecting laterally outwardly of one side thereof, said support member including anchor means at one end portion adapted to be secured to an article to be stretched, said flanges including pairs of corresponding aligned and outwardly opening notches formed therein inclined outwardly toward and spaced longitudinally of the other end portion of said support member, an elongated support arm including a transversely extending pivot arm on one end portion are removably and rotatably received in a selected pair of said notches, said lever arm, at a point spaced longitudinally thereof from said pivot arm, including a pivotally supported clamp assembly adapted to clampingly engage one end portion of an article to be stretched, an elongated flexible tethering member having one end portion adapted to be secured to said article, the other end portion of said tethering member and said anchor means including coacting means adapted to readily releasably secure the other end portion of said tethering member to said support member at selected points spaced longitudinally of said one end portion of said support member, force means carried by said other end portion of said support member, means connecting said force means and the free end portion of said lever arm spaced outwardly from said clamp assembly for swinging movement of the free end of said lever arm toward said other end of said support member in response to actuation of said force means.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said end portions of said support member comprise similar separable end members joined at their corresponding ends in end reversed relation, each of said end members including corresponding notches and anchor means.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said support member defines a channel member including a pair of necting said legs and defining said panel-like portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 3/1965 Canada.

CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD J. HERBST, Examiner. legs defining said flanges and a bight portion intercon- 15 SUTTON, Assistant Emmi-"en 

